A Single Grain of Rice
by Orlissa
Summary: "A single grain of rice can tip the scale." The Emperor of China, Mulan. Various what if? scenarios in various lenght. Chapter 1: What if Ivan Zeklos didn't die?


**Rating: T  
Word Count: 2072  
Disclaimer: [Insert funny text here that tells you I don't own Vampire Academy]**

**What if Ivan Zeklos didn't die?**

Dimitri had a very bad feeling about it. He had even voiced his concerns, but, for not the first in the last couple of months, his words had found deaf ears. His charge – his friend – had always listened to him in the past, had always sought his counsel when in trouble, but now he had reached a new low, and it made him desperate.

Ivan was in debt – deep in debt, and he needed to solve this situation quickly and quietly. No asking from relatives. No taking out a loan. No selling old family heirlooms. Which left him with only one option: striking a deal with Zmey.

Dimitri tried to talk him out of it – he'd heard enough of Ibrahim Mazur to know that it was a bad idea to get involved with him. There were rumors… And then there were facts. Even a fraction of them was enough to discourage any sensible man from dealing with Abe Mazur.

But Ivan was way past being sensible.

And that's how they got here, into this airy hall with its hardwood floor and oak paneling, waiting for the word that Zmey was ready to see them.

The house, no matter how welcoming it seemed, made Dimitri's skin tingle uncomfortably. He could feel eyes on him, although there was nobody in sight. _Cameras_. They were being watched, and it made every single muscle in his body tense, ready to jump and fight in a moment's notice.

His hand never went far from the pistol on his side.

A door opened in the distance, then they could hear the click-clicks of heels on the floor, coming towards them. A Moroi woman, whom Dimitri assumed to be Mazur's secretary, rounded the corner and turned towards them.

"Mr. Mazur is ready for you," she said in an almost emotionless tone. Ivan nodded in thanks and started walking towards from where the woman had come from, but as Dimitri tried to follow him the woman stopped him with a simple wave of her hand. "Mr. Mazur would only like to talk to Lord Zeklos. Alone." A tiny, artificial smile appeared on her face. "Until they discuss the matter at hand please, feel free to look around the house. Mr. Mazur has an extensive painting collection on the first floor that might be to your interest." And with that she turned around and led Ivan to Zmey's office, leaving Dimitri alone in the hallway.

He cursed under his breath.

This was not good. His instincts were screaming – never leave your charge alone, especially not in a possibly hostile environment. Anything could go on in that office, and yet he was here, outside, sitting duck, unable to help Ivan if something was to happen–

A faint noise coming from above and behind him made him jump. Hand flying to his hip he turned around, gaze shooting upwards.

"Hey, hotshot, no threat here," said the girl standing on the top of the stairs, her hands held up in front of her, more like in a mocking fashion than in surrender. "Just on my way to the kitchen."

Dimitri relaxed slightly, his hand falling down next to his side. The newcomer was young, maybe around twenty, quite easy on the eyes with her tanned skin and long, silky hair. And, just like him, she was a dhampir. But she couldn't have been a Guardian, no, at least not one on duty – her jeans and T-shirt was too causal for that, she was not armed, not to mention the way she moved around, with a kind of confidence, and maybe borderline arrogance, that told him that she felt completely at ease. But the skin of her neck was spotless, devoid of any scars and her gaze was clear. So she wasn't a bloodwhore, either.

"Hotshot?" he heard himself saying just as the girl reached the bottom of the stairs. She merely shrugged.

"You haven't offered me any alternative," she said brazenly. The way she spoke – her whole being – should have irritated him, and it did, to some level, but at the same time… He couldn't exactly voice it. She made him uncomfortable – but it could have been simply the place itself – and yet… "So, anyway… Wanna join me?"

"What?"

The corners of her mouth twitched.

"I'm going to the kitchen. Do you want anything to drink?" She looked at him, from his feet to his face. He could see the appreciation in her eyes. "You look like you could use one. And knowing the old man, you are in for some waiting, anyway. Come on!" She waved at him encouragingly, then started walking towards the door opposite to where Ivan had gone.

After a moment of hesitation, Dimitri followed her.

"Name's Belikov, by the way," he said, once he caught up to her.

The girl never stopped, only turned her head back to look at him. "Belikov, huh?" she tried to sound uncaring, but the spark in her eyes betrayed her. "Hathaway," she offered, then turned back, her steps never slowing. As her head moved her ponytail swung to one side, revealing her bare neck.

She had two molnijas. But no promise mark.

Odd.

About twenty steps down the corridor she abruptly turned to the right and opened a door, leading him to the kitchen. Judging by its size, it was meant to accommodate several members of household help, not a single housewife.

"So, what can I get you?" she asked, opening the fridge, while he, feeling almost bold, took seat at the counter.

"Just some soda, thank you."

Hathaway, one hand still on the fridge door, turned to look at him, a smirk playing on her lips.

"You sure? You look like you could use something stronger. You do seem kinda tense."

"I'm sure – on duty."

She merely shrugged.

"As you wish. If you want to be a party pooper." And with that she pulled a can of cola from the fridge for him, and a bottle of beer for herself. She walked to the counter, sat down opposite of him and, with surprising grace and gentleness, placed the can in front of him. He picked it up and opened it, the soda letting out a low, hissing sound. He took a sip.

"So… you work here? For Mazur?"

She opened her beer on the edge of the counter and flipped her ponytail behind her shoulder.

"Sorta. Temporarily."

"How temporarily?"

She didn't answer right away, but gazed at him, as if she was trying to decide whether to trust him or not.

"Just until the big names up high decide that my friend Lissa is big enough to make her own decisions and she can officially hire me."

Lissa… The name tickled some distant memory in his mind. Lissa… And Hathaway.

"You mean the Dragomir princess." It was more of a statement than a question, but she still nodded, taking a sip from her beer.

"I was supposed to be her Guardian from the beginning," she elaborated. "But then … stuff happened." Yeah, it could be put that way. Now Dimitri remembered the rumors he had heard a couple of years back – the reports of two fifteen year old girls, the last living Dragomir and her dhampir friend, running away from the Montana facility, and succeeding in hiding from authorities for nearly three years. There were also other… rumors, going on about how the Princess was mentally unstable, requiring constant monitoring. But this news came from far and through not exactly reliably channels, so he didn't know how much of it he should consider as truth. "They welcomed her back with open arms, being so precious royalty and all, while they kicked me to the curb." She played nonchalant, like it meant nothing, like she was over it, but her body language, the way she avoided looking into his eyes, told a different story.

"And yet – you are here," he said, somehow finding himself wanting to comfort her. "I'm sure it takes some skill to be hired by Abe Mazur. He's not a guy to surround himself with amateurs." His hand twitched, wanting to hold hers, but he held himself back.

Something he said made her chuckle.

"Yeah, it was my skills that got me hired," she said, toying with her bottle. "I mean… I am not bad. I had always been amongst the best, but… it was a long time ago." She took another sip, flipping her hair once again. "Let's just say I am not that… polished as I should, and could, be." Somehow, during their conversation, she had lost her confidence, her brazenness. She looked more vulnerable, and maybe even shy, by every moment that ticked by. "I mean, I try to get better. I pick up things from where I can – from the guardians working here, from Youtube videos," she smiled at him from under her lashes, "but there's still some ground to cover. A lot of ground, to be honest."

He took a long gulp from his soda, almost emptying the can, and then said something that surprised even him.

"You know what? Maybe I could teach you." The hopeful little glance she gave him made him go on. "I am not bad myself." First of his class, nine kills so far, spotless record, but he didn't want to go into details. "First of all, of course, we'd have to see what you know. And then…"

"And then…" she echoed.

"And then– and then we'll see." He raised his can a little. "I have a feeling that it's not my last visit here, anyways."

She mirrored him, leaning closer, and clicked her bottle against his soda.

"Then the next time you come… I'll be waiting for you," she said, her voice suddenly low, seductive. Not that he minded it. Actually, it made his heart race, something he hadn't felt in a while.

"You better be."

"It's a date," she breathed, then finished her beer, her gaze never moving from his eyes.

Their drinks gone, they ventured back to the hall a few minutes later, both a little more open, both breaching the other's private zone a little. Walking a little closer than normal, their hands almost touching.

Ivan and Mazur just rounded the corner – still talking and shaking hands – as they arrived back to the hall. Things went quickly from then – Ivan said his goodbyes to their host and called to Dimitri that it was time for them to go. Dimitri snapped back to Guardian mode in a blink of an eye, focused on his charge and their surroundings, although suddenly he found it difficult to see the house as he had only an hour ago – as a possibly hostile environment.

They were already at the door, just about to step out of the building, when he heard Hathaway call after him. He stopped and turned to her – she was leaning casually against the wall, a confident smile pulling at her lips. And although he couldn't see Mazur, he was sure the older man was still within earshot.

"Just for future reference – Rose. My name is Rose," she said.

Dimitri didn't even try to stop the small smile from appearing.

"Dimitri."

"Well… then until the next time, Dimitri," she nodded at him, her body language telling him that she really was looking forward to it.

All the while, Ivan didn't say a word. Not when the door closed behind them. Not as they walked down the driveway. But when they got into the car and Dimitri was just about to start the engine, all bets were off – and Ivan started laughing like a madman.

"What?" Dimitri asked, his hand stilling above the ignition.

"Dimitri Belikov, you hypocrite bastard!" Ivan said, still a little breathless.

"What?" Dimitri echoed his earlier question, his voice laced with confusion.

"You go on and on how I shouldn't deal with Mazur, how dangerous he is, how I am playing with fire… And then here you are, shamelessly flirting with his daughter!"

**If Ivan didn't die, Dimitri wouldn't have gone to St. Vlad's, so when Rose and Lissa were actually caught, there wouldn't have been anybody to fight for Rose and she would have been expelled. With nowhere else to go – Abe would have never let her live with bloodwhores and become one of them –, her father would have taken her in. But, sooner or later, she and Dimitri would have met anyways.**

**A/N: As you can see above my purpose with these little fic is not to show the immediate consequence of one "what if?" event, but more like to show what it could cause on the long run even one tiny change can cause a whole lot of difference. I don't know when it will be update – please, don't expect a schedule like the one I kept with my drabbles –, and although I have some faint ideas right now, most likely I'll only start honestly working on them when I had time to re-read the series (it's been a while and I'm starting to forget the fine details). So… Keep tuned :) See you next time!**


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